Decision support towards agile eco-design of microreaction processes by accompanying (simplified) life cycle assessment

Continuously running syntheses in microstructured reactors offers novel ways to intensify conventional chemical processes. An outstanding advantage of microreaction technology is the high surface-to-volume-ratio which enables intensive mixing phenomena as well as high mass and heat transfer rates. Thus, microstructured reactors may be a suitable means to improve multiphase reactions by increasing the interfacial area and the intensification of internal mixing. This improvement in reaction performances may lead to reduced environmental burdens of the process under consideration. The method of simplified life cycle assessment (SLCA) is a suitable tool to evaluate the environmental burdens caused by chemical processes. It has been applied already in research and development to identify the key parameters for a deliberate green process design of two biphasic reactions, the esterification of phenol and benzoyl chloride resulting in phenyl benzoate and the synthesis of one of the corresponding phase transfer catalysts, [BMIM]Cl. Further, SLCA is complemented by a simple cost estimation to investigate the main cost drivers relevant for possible industrial application of the syntheses investigated.